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DAFFIN' and want o' wit maks auld wives donnart.
"Daffin"' is defined by Ramsay as "folly in general ;" so the proverb means that foolish conduct in the aged is inconsistent or "donnart," i.e., stupid.
Daffin' does naething.
Playing accomplishes nothing.
Daily wearing needs yearly beiting.
Literally, clothes that are worn daily, require to be renewed annually.
Dame, deem warily, ye watna wha wytes yoursel.
"Deemer," one who judges.-- Jamieson. That is, judge other people cautiously; we know not who blames ourselves.
Dammin' and lavin' is gude sure fishing.
"Dammin' and lavin'," a low poaching mode of catching fish in rivulets, by damming and diverting the course of the stream, and then laving or throwing out the water, so as to get at the devoted prey."-- Jamieson.
Danger past, God forgotten.
Daughters and dead fish are kittle keeping wares.
A suggestion that daughters should be married, and dead fish eaten, otherwise they will both spoil on the hands of their possessors. "Daughters are brittle ware. "-- Dutch. "Marry your son when you will, and your daughter when you can."-- Spanish.
Daughters pay nae debts.
Dawted bairns can bear little.
Dawted daughters mak daidling wives.
Daughters who have been too much indulged or petted at home before marriage make but indifferent wives.
Daylight will peep through a sma' hole.
Dead men are free men.
Dead men do nae harm.
Deal sma' and ser' a'.
Death and drink-draining are near neighbours.
In allusion to the drinking usages formerly common at burials.
Death and marriage break term-day.
Death at ae door and heirship at the other.
Death comes in and speirs nae questions.
"Death does not blow a trumpet."-- Danish.
Death defies the doctor.
Death pays a' scores.
Death's gude proof.
Deil be in the house that ye're beguiled in.
A compliment, meaning that a person is so shrewd that no less a person than his Satanic majesty can deceive him.
Deil be in the pock that ye cam in.
Deil mend ye if your leg were broken.
The two last sayings are directly opposed to the preceding one, as they wish all manner of evil to the agencies that bring any particular person, whose presence is disagreeable.
Deil speed them that speir, and ken fu' weel.
That is, shame befall those who ask questions upon subjects with which they are perfectly well acquainted.; and who, by cross questioning, &c., lead people to commit themselves.
Deil stick pride--my dog died o~t
Deil's in our bairns: they'll no bed when their belly's fu'.
"Spoken with indignation, when people who are already well enough cannot hold themselves so, or be satisfied."-- Kelly.
Delays are dangerous.
Did ye ever fit counts wi' him?
Do not boast of your friend, or consider his friendship too stedfast, until you have had money transactions with him.
Diet cures mair than doctors.
Ding doon Tantallan, and big a road to the Bass.
Ding down the nest, and the rooks will flee away.
"Destroy the places where villains shelter, and they will disperse. This proverb was unhappily apply'd at the Reformation to the destroying of many stately cathedrals and collegiate churches."-- Kelly.
Dinna bow to bawtie, lest he bite.
Be careful how you are familiar with your superiors. "Too much familiarity breeds contempt."
Dinna cast awa' the cog when the cow flings.
Do not throw away the milking pail if the cow should kick it over: do not be discouraged if a misfortune should occur.
Dinna dry the burn because it may wat your feet.
Do not remove a public good or convenience because of an individual objection.
Dinna empty your ain mouth to fill other folk's.
Dinna gut your fish till ye get them.
This saying is common to many countries. "Don't cry herrings till they are in the net"-- Dutch. "Don't sell the bearskin before you have caught the bear."-- Italian. "Unlaid eggs are uncertain chickens."
Dinna gut your fish till ye get them.
This saying is common to many countries. "Don't cry herrings till they are in the net"-- Dutch. "Don't sell the bearskin before you have caught the bear."-- Italian. "Unlaid eggs are uncertain chickens."-- German.
Dinna lee for want o' news.
Dinna lift me before I fa'.
"'Weel, I've keepit a house this mony a year, and I never heard o' warm plates to a hot dinner before.' 'Then you refuse to give us them?' 'By no manner o' means, Dr Seggie, so ye needna lift folks before they fa'--you're welcome to any plates you please; and a' that I have to say is, that the langer a body lives they see the mair ferlies.'"- Laird of Logan.
Dinna meddle wi' the deil and the laird's bairns.
Dinna scaud your mouth wi' other folk's kail.
Be cautious in interfering with the affairs of neighbours or strangers.
Dinna sigh for him, but send for him: if he's unhanged he'll come.
Do not speak about a thing, or wish it done, but do it. "Talking is easier than doing, and promising than performing."-- German.
Dinna speak o' a raip to a chield whase father was hanged.
Dinna straik against the hair.
"Ony way, I wadna hae liked to have offended Mr Treddles; he was a wee toustie when you rubbed him again the hair--but a kind, weel-meaning man."-- The Highland Widow.
Dinna stretch your arm farther than your sleeve 'ill let ye.
"'I'll no let ye rest if ye dinna mak me a bailie's wife or a' be done. I was not ill pleased to hear Mrs Pawkie so spiritful; but I replied, 'Dinna try to stretch your arm, gudewife, farther than your sleeve will let you; we maun ca' canny mony a day yet before we think of dignities.'"- The Provost.
Dinna tell your fae when your foot sleeps.
Dinna touch him on the sair heel.
Do not speak to him on a subject on which he is known to be sensitive.
Dirt bodes luck.
Dirt defies the king.
Dirt parts gude company.
Dit your mouth wi' your meat.
"Dit," close. A suggestion intended to put a stop to idle conversation.
Do a man a good turn, and he'll never forgie you.
"'Are you mad?' cried Bryce Snailsfoot, 'you that lived sae lang in Zetland to risk the saving of a drowning man? Wot ye not, if you bring him to life again, he will be sure to do you some capital injury?'"-- The Pirate.
Do as the cow o' Forfar did, tak a stannin' drink. -
"A cow in passing a door in Forfar, where a tub of ale had been placed to cool, drank the whole of it. The owner of the ale pursued the proprietor of the cow for the value of the ale; but a learned bailie, in giving his decision, decreed, that since the ale was drunk by the cow while standing at the door, it must be considered deoch an dorius, or stirrup cup, for which no charge could be made, without violating the ancient hospitality of Scotland."-- Sir Walter Scott, Note to Waverley.
Do as lasses do--say No, but tak it.
"Maids, in modesty, say 'No' to that which they would have profferer construe 'Ay.'"- Shakespeare.
Do as the miller's wife o' Newlands did--she took what she had and she never wanted.
Dogs and bairns are fain o' fools.
That is, fools attract the attention of children and dogs.
Dogs bark as they are bred.
Dogs will redd swine.
"Redd," is here used in the sense of to put in order.
Dolour pays nae debts.
Dool and an ill life soon mak an auld wife.
"Sorrow and an evil life maketh soon an old wife."-- English.
Do on the hill as ye wad do in the ha'.
Let your private character be consistent with your public one.
Do't by guess, as the blind man fell'd the dog.
Do the likeliest and hope the best.
Double charges rive cannons.
That is, surfeits are dangerous ; but the proverb which follows shows, as usual, that there is no rule without an exception.
Double drinks are gude for drouth.
Do weel, an' doubt nae man; do ill, an' doubt a' men.
Do weel and dread nae shame.
Do weel and hae weel.
Do what ye ought and come what can; think o' ease, but work on.
The first clause of this is common to many countries ; but as the second only occurs in Henderson's collection, we suspect it is an addition of his own.
Do what ye ought, and let come what will.
Do your turn weel, and nane will speir what time ye took.
Meaning, that work should rather be done well than quickly.
Draff he sought, but drink was his errand.
That is, while pretending to ask for one thing, his great object was to get another.
Draff is gude enough for swine.
Dree out the inch when ye have tholed the span.
Since you have suffered patiently, or submitted to injustice for a long time, bear on quietly when there is a prospect of early relief.
Driest wood will eithest lowe.
Drink and drouth come na aye thegither.
Drink little, that ye may drink lang.
Drive the swine through't.
You should sift Jamie's tender passion -- that's the novelle-name for calf-love; and if it's within the compass o' a possibility, get the swine driven through't, or it may work us a' mucklc dule, as his father's moonlight marriage did to your ain, worthy man !"-- The Entail.
Drunk at e'en and dry in the morning.
Drunk folk seldom tak harm.
The French say, "God helps three kinds of people: fools, children, and drunkards ;" and another of our own states that "God's aye kind to fu' folk and bairns."
Dry bargains bode ill.
A bargain in times gone by was not "lucky," unless ratified by a drink.
Dummie canna lee.
Dunse dings a'.
"It may be mentioned that this is only the opinion which the people of Donse entertain of the town, as their neighbours, in general, scout the idea with great indignation."-- Robert Chambers. There are several local additions to this saying, such as "Douse dings a' for braw lads and drucken wives ;" "for gude yill and bonnie lasses," &c.

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